


Eternal Sleep

by LadyNightingGaleofMilvania



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Been meaning to write this for forever, Implied Ardyn/Aera relationship, Spoilers, kinda bittersweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-29 21:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18302561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNightingGaleofMilvania/pseuds/LadyNightingGaleofMilvania
Summary: Ardyn finally can look forward to rest after his long years of existence.





	Eternal Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> I'd been meaning to write something like this for a while, but after Episode Ardyn came out I decided to go ahead and finally do it. There's not really Episode Ardyn spoilers, but if you're really worried then I'd _definitely_ go play it first, just in case! Enjoy. ;)

Ardyn felt himself be pulled into the Crystal. Was this what it’s acceptance was supposed to feel like? He wouldn’t know, the last time he tried to truly do anything with it he got blasted halfway across a room and cursed for what was supposed to be eternity. Looking around he realized that he was also alone. Somnus--no, not Somnus, _Noctis_... Gods be damned, but why did they have to give that boy his face? Why was it that he would look upon Somnus’ face once more before he could finally find some sort of rest? The gods truly were cruel.

 _Ah yes,_ Ardyn thought to himself as he saw Noctis glide down, _the beginning of the end._

He grabbed his hat, tempted to take it off, but decided against it last minute as he bowed in a half-mocking fashion at the man in front of him that wore his brother’s face. As he straightened back up, however, four more figures had appeared. Ardyn snarled slightly as he looked at them. Yes, he could tell Bahamut’s handiwork as he recognised the four: Ignis, the Advisor. Gladiolus, the Protector and Shield. Prompto, the Friend. Regis, the Father.

And yet Ardyn had no one.

Part of his lack of companions was because he had pushed all that tried to get close away, after all why would you want to get close to anything that you would long outlive? But he also knew that this was divine punishment for turning from the Astrals he once held dear, despite their betrayal against him.

The four stood solidly opposite of him, creating a sort of light that he couldn’t define. It hurt him, stinging his face and eyes, and he couldn’t help but recoil at it. He jerked his face downwards, the sound of a daemon slipping from his mouth as thick Scourge rolled down from his eyes and stained his cheeks. He looked back up in time to see Somnus--no, no he wasn’t Somnus, but at the same time… part of him hoped that it had been, that it was Somnus, not Noctis, reaching for him through time and death to be reunited once more as they might have done as children...

In his reminiscence he didn’t see the glowing ethereal figure floating up toward him. Her healing light reached his eyes as she wrapped gentle fingers around his arm. Oh how she reminded him of Aera, his only love. Deep within his soul he could never cast her aside, his heart had ached for her with every second of existence, and this girl-- _Lunafreya Nox Fleuret_ \--gods be damned but she even had the name that Aera had always loved, one that they had discussed at length to name any little girl they planned to have. She was the spitting image of Aera, of what he had hoped any of their daughters would have looked like if fate hadn’t been so cruel.

But this wasn’t Aera, that wasn’t Somnus, and his anger at the gods swelled sevenfold as he swiped at Lunafreya’s warm glow, making her disappear into small glowing petals that began to caress him. The light seemed to take root deep within him and climb up his arm and spread throughout. He tried to breathe, but his lungs refused to work, the warmth had begun to burn deep into his soul, and when he looked up he realized he could only gasp as two final words entered his mind at Noctis’ outstretched hand.

_Kill me._

Almost as though the other man could hear him, Noctis’ fist closed and the bright light of the Crystal surrounded him. Swords began to blossom from his back, the swords of those past kings, and Ardyn couldn’t help but notice that the ring--their oh so precious Ring of the Lucii--had begun to eat at its Chosen King. Noctis’ arms had begun to turn ashen, the skin beginning to fracture, as his ancestors appeared at their corresponding weapons. One final cry against the gods ripped from Ardyn’s throat as each king tore him further asunder with their weapons until he turned into nothing.

And then there was finally peace as he walked toward Aera in the distance.


End file.
